Feed attachment



Mmm @9 H954 H. MERNDON FEED ATTACHMENT 2 sheets-sheet' 1 Filed Sept. 27, 1948 11T/VENTO@ ad@ YlQarMS/y Haw n M Maf@ H. HIERNDON FEED ATTACHMENT A2 Sheets-Shee 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1948 Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATESIPATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in a feed attachment.

In combined'harvesters for cutting and threshing grain, it is customary to employ a cutting sickle with a reel above it and conveyors or drapers immediately back of the sickle to convey the cut grain to the cylinder of the threshing part of the harvester. In most of the larger machines, the drapers are arranged so that two of them run from the ends of the sickle parallel to the sickle toward the center thereof and deliver the cut crop to a center conveyor or draper that moves the crop away from the sickle to the cylinder inlet of the threshing part of the harvester. Much di'iculty is encountered where the straw is quite heavy or bulky. Such seed crops as rape and mustard and tangled wheat and oats will pile up on the center feeder and refuse to feed back into the cylinder.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a novel attachment which consists of a rake mounted over the feed draper and operable to press down the fluffy cut crop and work it back to the cylinder in cooperation with the feed draper.

I am aware that heretofore it has been proposed to employ reciprocating rakes to carry cut crops from a sicklev to a cylinder. According to my invention however, I provide a more effective means for Vpressing the crop down and enabling the draper to perform its feeding operation, the rake as used Vin my invention being primarily for the purpose of compacting the crop and holding 1t while the draper feeds it forward to the cylinder rather than a feeding device itself.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown. It should be understood however, that the drawings and description are illustrative only and are not to be considered as limiting the invention except insofar as itis limited by the claims. v

` lIn the drawings u 'u Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a combine harvester with the feeding drapers shown in section and looking into the cylinder inlet of the harvester;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Figure l; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, my invention is shown as applied to a combine harvester wherein the drapers I0 and Il are side drapers a-dapted to feed the cut grain from the sickle I2 (Figure 4) from both ends of the machine toward the center thereof. The drapers I0 and II are mounted over a front platform I3 and a center .draper I4 is also mounted over the platform I3 in position to move the crop out by the central portion of the sickle and the crop delivered by the drapers Il] and II into a cylinder opening I5 at the front of the harvester. The grain is intended to be fed through the opening I5 by the rotating toothed cylinder I6. However, in certain types of crop that tend to pile up loosely on the center draper, feeding does not take place and the machine becomes clogged at the inlet I5.

According to my invention, I provide a rake I1 over the feed draper I4, operable to compact the crop thereon and hold it against the feed draper and the cylinder I6 to avoid the piling up in front of the inlet I5. My improved rake I1 has a stem I8 which is mounted by a bearing block I9 and a plate 20 between two crank arms 2| and 22. The lstem I8 extends beyond the crank arms 2| and 22 and upwardly to a rock shaft 23 which has a bearing 24 slidably receiving the stem I8.

The crank arms 2l and 22 are supported by shafts 25 and 26 respectively. The shaft 25 is journalled in two bearings 21 and 28 and has a drive pulley 29 thereon by which it may be rotated from any suitable part of the harvester, such for example, as the shaft which supplies drive power to the harvester reel, not shown. The shaft 26 is journalled in a bearing 3l). The bearings 21, 28 and 30 are supported by brackets 3|, 32 and 33 respectively that project out from the front wall 15a of the harvester above the opening I5. To add rigidity to the support, straps 34, 35 and 36 are extended upwardly from the brackets 3|, 32 and 33 respectively to a cross bar 31. The brackets 3|, 32, and 33 are bolted to the front wall I5a by bolts 6I, 62, and 63 respectively. The straps 34, 35 and 36 have horizontal portions 64, and 66 respectively spot welded to the corresponding brackets 3l, 32 and 33. The straps 34, 35 and 36 are bolted to the cross bar 31 by bolts 61, 68 and 69 respectively.

The bearing block I9 and the plate 20 rotate upon a shaft 38 that rigidly connects the crank arms 2| and 22. The shaft 38 has an enlarged central portion 39 journalled in the block I9. The plate 20 is adjustably connected to the stem I8 by two U-shaped clamps 40 and 4I which are threaded to receive nuts 42 and 43 respectively.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the rock shaft 23 is supported by two bearings 44 and 45 which are adjustably mounted on two uprights 46 and 41 that are mounted at the top of the front wall' I5a by a forwardly extending plate 48 which extends out to the cross bar 31. The uprights 46 and 41 have reenforcing flanges such as are indicated at 49 and 50 respectively. These uprights have elongated slots 5I and 52respectively therein which serve to provide the adjustment of the shaft 23 up and down with-respect' to the crank arms 2| and 22' tol determine'the throw of the rake I1. Each of the bearings 44 and 45 is clamped to its respective upright-by two screw bolts 51. A nut 58 and a washer 59 is @provided for each .bolt5`i. One of the bolts 51 extends through each of the anges 44a-and-44b of the bearing 44 and throughthe slot5I. The nut 58 clamps the washer 59 against the upright. The bearing 45 has flanges45a and 45h that re- -ceive" bolts'. 51 for securing it to the uprighty 41 fin the-same manner that the bearing 44 is secured 'tothefupright 46.

`5It"wil1"rbe1noted that thefeeding cylinder I5 :Ghas end `teeth'53 and 54 with a space left betweenl Y ithe teethftoalign'with the rake I1. As illustrated best n'Figure4, the rake teeth shown at 255,:'are carried downin their advancing motion "to vclose proximity to the draper I4, then elevated `.closely tol theinlet opening I5 so that any crop on the draper `I4 will be pressed or padded down to :engage .the vcylinder `llias 'it is advanced by ftheildraper I4. The rake member I1 is made triangular inshape with substantially smooth front 'and'back .faces 5G and short blunt teeth 55 at its lower edge andis rounded at the. edges so as l*toipreventtan'gling of the crop thereon. The fsmooth front face 56 of the rake is effective in i pressing the crop down and forwardly toward the opening `I5 and the cylinder'IB afterV the Acrop hasfallenon or isdelivered to the draper I4 and 4radvanced by the draper toward the opening I5.

:rIt isbelieved that the nature andadvantages of rriy'inventionr will be clear from the foregoing description. -.Having tl'ius described my inven-w' tion, I claim:

1. In a harvester having a housing 1 provided -with afeedlinlet opening, adraper extending into said h'ousing through vsaid opening and 'side drapers delivering 'cut crops to the rst named .to compress 'the crops against said draper before they come into contact with the cylinder, a crank shaft mounted on and spaced in front of the housing above the raking and compressing member, means to drive said shaft, a crank arm xed to said shaft, a stem fixed to the raking and compressing member and extending upwardly therefrom, said stem being pivotally secured to the crank arm at a distance above the raking and compressing member, and a'guide member pivoted on the housing and spacedff-above the crank arm, said stem being slidable 'in the guide member.

2. In a harvester having a housing provided withv a feed inlet opening, a draper extending into said housing through said opening and side r`drapersv'delivering cut crops to the rst named ,inder and overlyingthe draper, said'rakng'- and vcompressing member having a wide lower surface .facing `downward toward said draper and adapted to compresslthe crops against said draper before they come into contactwith ithejcylinder, a crank shaft Amountedon and spacedy'irrjfront ofy the lhousingv above the raking1 and.v compressing A member, means to drive said'shaft,4 .a crankarm ,.xed to said-shaft, astem-xed vto: the raking and compressing member and extending upwardly therefrom, said stem being pivotallysecured to the crank arm ata distance abovev the raking andcompressing member, and a guidel member pivoted .onv the housing and vspaced-abovel the crank arm, said stembeing sldablein thefguide Imember, said raking=and compressingsmember having short teeth extending downwardly; from the lower surface Vrthereof and 1 toward :said

opening.

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